Secure social collaboration platform connects HUD employees

The Housing and Urban Development Department is using a software-as-a-service platform to provide employees with a secure arena for internal social collaboration and communication.

Socialtext, an enterprise social software provider, implemented the platform that will help HUD break down barriers preventing knowledge sharing for the department’s 8,000 employees.

In 2011, HUD took steps to improve internal communications and collaboration to enhance employee satisfaction and improve work processes. After concluding an extensive trial period, the department decided that Socialtext’s enterprise social networking platform could provide long-term benefits to employees, company officials said.

Built by Socialtext, HUDConnect is the department’s secure, social intranet that has helped increase collaboration among HUD employees and their nationwide field offices. The SaaS platform runs within HUD's private cloud for scale, backup and restore functionality.

“Prior to deploying Socialtext, the agency found it difficult to communicate securely and effectively within the office, let alone nationwide,” said Eugene Lee, CEO of Socialtext.

Now, HUD employees are using the social collaboration platform to bridge the gap between field offices around the country, solving problems and collaborating in real time, regardless of their location, Lee said.

Additionally, HUD employees now have a better view of all project plans available over the network, which prevents duplicate work on the same project. Employees based in Washington, D.C., are using Socialtext to share information with colleagues in satellite offices around the country, as well as gather input on various projects and viewpoints.